Collared for a Night (Crimson Romance)

by Susan Arden

  Her figure curving over the futon whetted his appetite all over again. This was going to be a long night and he was just getting started. Her glazed expression brought a smile to his lips.

  “I know I haven’t knocked your socks off yet, but is there even a dent in the insanity?”

  She reached out her arms to him. “More than a crinkle; the haze of heat twisting my thoughts is much less. Thanks for rescuing me from crazyville.”

  Chapter 4

  The searing hunger that had raged inside her body eased from the point of pain. Her thoughts cleared and she sipped a long, calm breath. She stretched, unable to remember if they’d shifted partially or not at all.

  Shawn’s mind-blowing fucking made it difficult to think backward. His cock was magical in her world. Now was not the time to do a body check for bite marks.

  He returned to lounge next to her on the futon. His skin was as spotted as hers. He gazed, unblinking, with leopard eyes. His dilated pupils shone reddish-black at her.

  Oh shit. She touched her neck and inhaled a shaky breath. They had protected sex. His semen hadn’t come in contact with her skin so there was no way they’d mated or bonded. But he’d definitely marked her. Maybe this type of marking didn’t count.

  She didn’t know what to think. His erect cock glistened at the tip and she didn’t care about the details. Not yet at least.

  “Your scent is delicious. Let me taste you,” she murmured in a husky voice.

  Without waiting for his response, she crawled over Shawn, rubbing her body over his skin. The feel of his male hardness perked her hunger. She bent over his waist, running her hands over his body.

  Shawn trailed his fingers over her breasts. He drew his tongue along her legs, easing them open under his hands. He followed a leisurely path, slowly traveling toward the place where her legs connected to her body. He pushed her legs apart, spreading her pussy wide open to him. She felt him blow on her. The cool air made her opening pulse. His hot mouth found her. He licked her from one side to the other. Shawn came back to her clit where he sucked on her with a maddening intensity.

  He thrust his finger into her. She had to taste him or give into to an unfolding climax.

  “Mmm. Will you come in my mouth?” She took hold of his cock. She licked the rim, tasting him, and sucked him across her tongue.

  He gazed up at her. “Baby, is that what you want? Or this?” He pumped two of his fingers into her.

  “So close,” she murmured against his crown, then wrapped her mouth around him. Removing his fingers, he tongued her opening. Hard and deep.

  The waves of another orgasm were building, making her shudder. Diana pulled his cock out of her mouth, sucking the tip, savoring the texture and taste of his cock driving her to the edge of insanity as he licked her slit. She convulsed under his mouth. His actions delivered her to a cliff, suspending her over a sea of desire. A hunger broke free, urging her to act.

  “Let me please you. Shawn, how does this feel? Tell me.” It was a wild plea erupting from her leopardess nature. She didn’t comprehend this drive to please him. She was the one insane and in heat.

  “Perfect. Do you like the feel of my tongue between your legs?” His voice mirrored his tongue — rough, hot, commanding. She squirmed under his dominance. A force within her wanted to snarl and roar and hiss.

  “Yes. But let me taste you. I need to know your essence.”

  He held onto her, pulling her bottom across the sheet. “No backing away. You agreed, Diana. Tonight, you’re mine.”

  “Shawn, one taste,” she begged amidst her spiraling loss of control. The hunger was returning, broiling her skin. “Please, do anything you think will help.” She consented without thought, intoxicated on the overload of sensory pleasure. She relished in being his for the night.

  He smiled shamelessly at her and complied, adjusting his hips and fanning his fingers across her jaw. “Open your mouth,” he growled. “Be careful of what you wish.”

  He glided his cock into her mouth just enough to tempt, and he withdrew, just enough to tease. She clasped his shaft between her hands, preventing the removal of his crown from her mouth. Her throbbing pussy moistened with each of his strokes into her mouth. Craving him so badly, she couldn’t think straight and, finally, Diana gave in to her physical nature. She sucked him hard as he pumped into her mouth.

  “Oh, sweetheart. That’s it, kitten. Now, my turn.” He slowly ran his tongue over her clit. He sucked on her bud, squeezed his fingers over her bottom, and probed between her cheeks. She moved her fingers along his cock and held him between her lips. Replicating his hold on her, Diane squeezed the rock-hard muscles of his ass, pumped her mouth up and down his shaft, and opened her thighs wider.

  Shawn and she groaned simultaneously. They synchronized their movements and she submitted to him, fully trusting that he knew what to do with her body. Her desire spiked. She excitedly took him down her throat. He shuddered and she did it again. Diana let go of all thoughts. Instinct took over. She used her tongue to stroke the ridge of his erection, absorbing some hidden knowledge in perceiving what Shawn desired.

  As he licked her and suckled her without mercy, her bliss drove her to bring him to the same cliff. She used skills she’d never known she possessed to drive him wild. She teased and nipped at his sweet spot, underneath his head, licking and sucking, and pushed past his dominance. “Suck me harder, sweetheart.” Shawn’s voice was an inhuman, hoarse whisper. He stopped tonguing her pussy and held her head. He fucked her mouth, pumping and thrusting across her lips.

  She adored the feel of his cock in her mouth and did as he instructed. Diana ran her claws across his flesh.

  He followed suit, rasping the tips of his nails over her skin. Shivers broke out from the tiny pain-pleasure scratches over her skin. His muscles quivered around her. His scent filled her mouth and head. She could savor him without fear and, at this moment, had to taste his orgasm. A savage hunger tore into her.

  Previously, her mouth had been a safe spot on her body where an alpha’s semen couldn’t cross her physical barrier. Yet now, her whole body convulsed and shifted, a sign of error in her judgment. This man was different. Her leopardess nature pushed outward. She told herself she must absorb his musky scent and taste if only to recognize his marking in the world beyond this room. He pulled out of her mouth and her leopardess mind quaked in frustration, on the edge of claiming her mate.

  “No,” she roared. Her pelt rippled and she shook, flexing feline muscles. Spontaneously she’d let go and shifted. The experience was more than exhilarating. On all fours, she crouched next to him on the futon. Her long tail slapped against the wall. Never had shifting felt this powerful. She licked his face, stared at him from behind twitching whiskers, and she flicked her tail, snapping his leg.

  “Diana, reel in your leopardess nature. Come back to me.” His whispered command eased her nature. “Now, sweetheart.” He rubbed his thumb on the ridge between her eyes, then petted the side of her cheek. She could feel his essence without responding to the content of his words. Deep within her, primitive instinct was a force that drove her, and she responded by purring and rubbing up against him, marking her scent over him.

  Shawn’s voice lulled her. She calmed instantly. Acquiesced. Her animal and human forms flickered.

  The scent she released as leopardess would be near impossible for him to resist. She dropped beside him, blinking, and lowered her lids. For him, she began the process of shifting back. She hissed, and then moaned, curling up next to him.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, opening her eyes and contemplating him. This was the first time she had shifted in front of an alpha male for over a year. Was Shawn taken back at her lack of control? Her fur receded, emitting sparks of energy over the length of her skin, tightening and smoothing into her human form. Her claws got caught in the futon. She tugged each curved spike free, then focused and steadied her nature. “I understand if we shift during sex, things will get away from us.”
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  “That’s an understatement. We’d lose control. Short and simple, Diana, we would mate. I think if I come in your mouth, I’ll shift. I was borderline a second ago. I don’t know if I can control myself without being fully conscious. The human forebrain controls the leopard nature. You said you wanted your independence, but you’re absolutely wild, too. Have you ever been trained? In the very basics?”

  “Trained? As in controlling my nature? You can see I lack any measure of resistance. I left home when I was young. So, no. Nothing. Are you appalled? ”

  “You’re an alpha leopardess, darling. Rare, and a prize for a male. If you can harness your power, I can only begin to imagine the things you’d be capable of doing. Didn’t anyone ever explain what all this means?”

  “Not really. My husband and I were alone. We ran away from home when we graduated and made our own way in the world. My parents were against our getting married. They prohibited us from coming home. We never went back.”

  “I don’t doubt it. Females such as yourself are usually placed in arranged marriages. Your power is untapped, so you can’t just go around and have sex with any Tom, Dick, or Harry. And you can’t go this long without relief.” Shawn ran his knuckles across her cheek. “I do know that we’re a good match in bed.”

  “I don’t agree about being an alpha leopardess. You might be mistaken there. But for argument’s sake, where does a woman find a trainer?”

  “Diana, I’m right. You’re a full-blooded alpha leopardess. An alpha male would train you. Or another alpha female can provide training, if you’re open to such experiences. There aren’t many alpha leopardesses here in Denver, though.” He grimaced, seeming to contemplate her for a silent moment.

  “But you’re alpha and a male and leopard,” she said.

  He exhaled. “That I am. Are you saying you’d allow me to train you?”

  “You know I don’t have many choices, now do I?” She nodded at the dawning of her understanding. He would be perfect and he couldn’t back out after marking her.

  “There are ways to remove scents. Not that I want to.”

  “Then what’s the problem? Tell me, Shawn.”

  “With any training between opposite genders, there’s a risk the pair could shift and mate for life. Those bonds are unbreakable if a pregnancy occurs. You’d have to be willing to risk a lifelong commitment and children if you couldn’t control yourself. It’s risky, but the rewards are great. Especially for someone like you. You’ll have to work hard not to give in at the wrong moment — regardless of who trains you.”

  “I won’t shift again without reason. Ever. I get the risks.” She promised, unable to synthesize his talk of rewards. Did he mean great sex? “And what about you? If you shift, there’d be no way to fuck safely. Am I right?” she asked.

  “Diana, I already want to mount you like an alpha. It’s my primal nature to mate with an alpha female to produce babies. Twins with you, more than likely. I won’t lie to you. Your scent is driving me crazy, but I’ll control myself. Every cell in my body wants to bond with you. But I won’t. I’ve more in my life to keep me on my toes morning to night. So, don’t worry, this isn’t something I take lightly.”

  She didn’t know if she wanted him to control himself. Tonight they’d discovered their mutual attraction was more than skin deep and could be controlled by their human nature, not their animalistic forms.

  “I understand the depth of risk in trying to set limitations around a potential leopard mate.”

  They gazed back at each other as humans, understanding that, if left unchecked, their desire would result in two potential alpha leopards who wanted to act. Badly.

  Her two natures were beginning to yearn for the same thing. One man, one leopard, one future. The tearing of a condom wrapper roused her from her blurred scrutiny of him.

  Shawn’s sheathed cock nudged her slit. She licked his chin, giving in to the urge, and rubbed against his face. “I’m crazy for you.” He crawled over her body and they purred loudly, rubbing and nuzzling against each other.

  She relaxed from the rhythmic vibration coming from his chest. Then tears flooded her eyes. How was it possible to feel so lost, on the brink of shattering, and at the same time feel orgasmic ecstasy? Her leopard third lids cleared the tears away before a droplet fell.

  He wiped her lids and kissed her lightly on the forehead between her eyes. “Baby, I’ll train you. Hell, if only because together we’re an amazing team. Design by day, mind-blowing sex at night. And I don’t want to let you get away just yet.”

  She knew he was teasing her, attempting to put her at ease, but his expression said more. Much more. She purred in response.

  This man she admired above all others had agreed to help her. She smiled, still hungry, yet not alone. Did this mean she could bestow her scent upon him? She didn’t know if he was involved with one or more other shifters. Just because he didn’t work as a club stud didn’t mean he was unattached.

  Diana flexed her hips, moving her bottom under Shawn until she found his hardened cock between her legs. “Let me get on top of you this time.”

  “Claiming your right?” he asked, rolling over onto his back, and then pulling her to sit astride his torso.

  Diana toyed with the sensation of power he’d given her. She pressed her knees down into the futon and rose upward. She took hold of his cock and pressed his crown within her folds. “Shawn, oh my God, you feel so good against me.”

  “Use me to satisfy yourself. What a turn-on. Let me watch you play.” He rose up on his elbows, gazing at her stroking his penis.

  She rubbed against the top of him, gliding her slick lips across his head.

  He cupped her breasts, thumbing her nipples. He squeezed, plucking each nipple into a hard, aching peak. He pulled her closer to him. He latched onto the tip of her breast with his hot, moist mouth.

  She stopped to gasp, and then slid across his crown. Using his cock, she teased her clit, rubbing the head of him from one side of her slick slit and then back again. Her pleasure expanded in all directions. He sucked her breast, at first tenderly. Then, he let his teeth scrape across the edge of her nipple. She snarled a warning.

  Diana pressed his slippery head at her opening. She inhaled and sank down in one movement, thrusting herself down his cock. She pushed up and lowered herself, pivoting her hips, riding him. She held onto his shoulders, giving into her hunger and riding him hard.

  He growled, “That’s it. Baby, fuck me. Fuck me, Diana.”

  Diana submitted by action of her pussy. Her thigh muscles tightened from raising and lowering her hips, riding him up and down. The pounding of his cock into her depths, hovering at just the right angle, ensured the head of his cock grazed across her G-spot. Each swipe of his stiff penis unleashed orgasmic bursts deep in her belly.

  Her legs began to shake, and the pressure built within her core, layer upon layer until a dam broke loose. She threw back her head, yelling, “Shawn, I’m so close. Take me over the cliff.”

  Shawn held onto her hips, drawing her hips back and forth over his cock as she straddled him. He took over, plunging into her, going as far as he could. “Give it to me. Diana, I’m fucking you hard. Come for me.”

  Her orgasm exploded, filling her completely before bursting apart. Her body unleashed a torrent of pleasure, deep within her pussy, and soaking Shawn’s cock with her juices.

  She yearned to shift into her leopardess form and submit to this man with the depth of her being. Instinct told her it would require him to place her into a mating position. At first, he’d overpower and secure her from behind, bending over her body and allowing her to submit. He’d mount her and take her several times in rapid succession, claiming her whole, body and spirit. There was nothing free or easy in being mated to an alpha male leopard.

  “I’ve got you, darling.” He scooped her up against his chest and turned them one hundred eighty degrees in midair. Spilling her onto the sheet, he stabilized his body, doing a precise push-
up from the futon instead of crashing into her body. He rose on his knees, lifting her legs over his shoulders. His cock remained embedded deep inside her pussy.

  “That was impressive. Quite the athlete, aren’t you?” she murmured in a husky voice.

  “You make me wild. I’m going to take you, alpha-style. Don’t shift if you want to retain your independence. This should help your heat.” Shawn flexed his hips back and then thrust from tip to base into her, extracting an unexpected yelp from her mouth. He repeated the movement of his hips, slapping against her flesh, pumping his ass into the air only to plunge down fully into Diana. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, her body clenched tight into a spring.

  Shawn slammed powerfully into her. Over and over, he plowed deeper and farther until his thrusts made her teeth rattle. Her insides unfurled and she floated in an orgasmic haze.

  “I’m going to come. Tell me when you’ve orgasmed,” he panted.

  “Shawn, now,” she cried.

  He twisted her hair around his hand, exposing her neck. His eyes flashed golden and gleaming. A snarl crossed his lips. Shawn opened his mouth and clamped down on the pressure point that existed below the surface of her skin. A force within her joined something beyond her body, something male and dominant. She cried out his name, bucking her hips against him, and he released her neck.

  “Fuck,” he groaned, freeing her from his bite. A shudder racked his body. He pumped, increasing the force of each thrust, hiking each plunge.

  Shawn pushed through his more-orgasm — that’s what his climax was to her. She swore the more he pumped, the more he came. Shawn continued to bury himself repeatedly inside her body, making her think he existed in another dimension.

  “Baby, I don’t know what you do or how you do it.” He lowered his body, falling onto the sheet next to her and pulling her body against him. He kissed her lightly on the shoulder. “This was the best sex I’ve ever experienced. I swear I could fuck you forever.”

  For several minutes they lay entwined, no need for words where their heartbeats filled in the gaps.